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News Archives
Week of July 25, 2004
Vanishing Islands
As the planet warms up and sea levels rise, many lovely island nations may be lost. The Maldive Islands, home to 360,000 people, will be among them.
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Posted by Jennifer on Friday, July 30 2004, 1:13 PM
More on endangered species
Polar bear populations on thin ice
Scientists are worried that polar bears may die out, because of exposure to toxic chemicals which are now found even in the frozen northern spaces. Because the polar bears are top predators, they tend to receive all the concentrated chemicals from the entire food chain.
Anthrax blamed for chimp deaths
At the Tai National Park on the Ivory Coast of Africa, anthrax is killing chimpanzees. The bacteria has never been found in tropical forests before, and scientists have no idea where it's come from. As we've noted before, the great apes are already endangered by many environmental factors.
Posted by Jennifer on Thursday, July 29 2004, 6:19 PM
Becoming a Tiger
One of my favorite online places is The Well, a subscription-only online bulletin board system where I've spent time almost daily for more than ten years. The Well has a couple of conferences that can be viewed by non-members, one of which is called Inkwell.vue. In this conference, different writers are interviewed while they carry on conversations with members of the Well itself.
The current conversation is with Susan McCarthy, author of the wonderful book Becoming a Tiger : How Baby Animals Learn to Live in the Wild, which explores the questions of nature vs. nuture among young animals. Susan was also the co-author of an earlier work, When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals, which argued that animals do indeed have an inner life not unlike our own.
If you want a taste of the book and its author, visit the Inkwell topic linked above. You don't have to join to read, and if you have a question you'd like to ask, you can send it in via email to inkwell-hosts@well.com .
Posted by Jennifer on Thursday, July 29 2004, 2:41 PM
So, how's the weather doing?
Back in the spring I talked a lot about impending drought and the possiblity of early wildfires. So, how are things going now that we're nearly through July?
Fires in the western half of North America started early, and are quite widespread. And not just in North America, either.
Here's the most recent US drought probability map:
Fortunately, things aren't that bad everywhere.
Posted by Jennifer on Wednesday, July 28 2004, 6:51 PM
News of the Day
Frozen Ark attempts to save genetics from being lost
Facing what may be the sixth big extinction wave in known history, scientists in England plan to save DNA from species which may be lost. It is thought that over the next 30 years, one-quarter of all mammals and one-tenth of bird species may vanish forever. Saving DNA will allow future scientists to perhaps understand the role these species once played, or even help to bring species back someday.
Whaling ban will be maintained
The annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission has closed without agreeing to allow whale hunting to resume. The chairman of the IWC had introduced a revised whaling charter that would have allowed the resumption of whaling under a catch-quota system. Opponents of whaling believe that the revised charter would be unenforceable, as it carries no penalties for illegal hunting and provides no way to monitor whaling around the world. There is still some momentum for resuming whale hunting around the world, and the matter is far from permanently settled.
UN to help restore Iraqi marshes
A new multi-million dollar project launched by the United Nations Environmental Programme, and funded by Japan, aims to restore portions of these Mesopotamian wetlands which were almost totally destroyed by dams and drainage canals during the reign of Saddam Hussein, and were further damaged during the two Gulf Wars.
Home to species such as the Sacred Ibis and the Basra Reed Warbler, and a major spawning ground for fisheries in the Persian Gulf, these marshes are believed by some to be the location of the mythical Garden of Eden. Since Saddam was deposed, local residents have been tearing down small dams and embankments, and already water has begun flowing again through some small parts of the wetlands.
The project will begin by creating solar-powered sanitation and clean water systems for a dozen or so small villages, then move on to restoration efforts of riverbeds and stream channels, which will provide habitat for birds and other wildlife. The effects of restoration will be monitored by satellite images, and a Marshland Information Network web site will allow the public to follow the restoration as it proceeds.
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Posted by Jennifer on Tuesday, July 27 2004, 12:50 PM
"Bush's Dark Pages in Conservation History"
Over in the L.A. Times, Stewart Udall has a haunting opinion piece on the effects of this administration's anti-environmental crusade. Udall is former head of the Interior Department, and he recalls the long bipartisan history of environmental protection in this country, now being decimated by the Bush assault on a wide variety of environmental regulations.
Overall, it's a record that bolsters my thesis that this administration is rowing against the tide of American history. Otero Mesa symbolizes its narrow focus. Bush and company have not put forward a single positive new conservation concept. They have systematically lowered pollution regulations to please favored industries. They have allowed park and forest maintenance to be neglected and under-funded. I view these events and developments with dismay. This is a time for straight talk, for those who love the land to make their voices heard before more damage is done to the resources we all own.
Read this one!
By the way, the LATimes requires registration; try this site if you're tired of signing up for a thousand separate news sites.
Tip of the hat to Political Animal for the pointer.
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Posted by Jennifer on Monday, July 26 2004, 1:45 PM
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